On February 8, the Russian "Bankauto" car sales platform expert told the media that it is expected that the Russian auto market in the first half of 2022 will reduce new car sales by at least 5% in the context of continued car shortages.
Experts pointed out that "the Russian auto market is likely to decline by at least 5% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year." The sales base for January-June 2021 is quite high (870,700 units), and given the continued shortage of vehicles, it will be difficult for the Russian auto market to reach the level of 820,000 units sold. ”
Analysts stressed that the future of the Russian microchip market is more dependent than the Western market, because 90% of the semiconductors needed in Russia are imported. Therefore, even if there is a certain recovery in global electronic product production, domestic production lines will delay for several months to obtain the required number of microcircuit devices.
The agency explained, "The current leader in the Russian auto market will therefore have the opportunity to consolidate its position more aggressively by the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023." ”
Still, there are winners in the market, and that's the Chinese producers, who were able to increase their share of Russia by more than 7 percent in times of crisis. At present, 13 Chinese brands are officially sold in the Russian market, including Haval, Chery, Geely, Exeed Xingtu, Changan, FAW, Dongfeng Motor, GAC, Great Wall, Lifan, Brilliance Automobile, Foton and Zotye. But the top four brands account for about 95 percent of total Chinese brand car sales.
Analysts pointed out that "Russia's growing demand for Chinese cars is due to its relatively low prices in the face of increasingly high quality." At the same time, Chinese automakers have done a better job than many Western companies in dealing with chip shortages and ensuring uninterrupted supply to the Russian market. Moreover, Chinese companies have imposed stricter policies on their official dealers, not allowing them to overprice cars. Bankauto believes that by the end of the year, their market share is likely to increase to 14% or even 15-16%.